I must be stopped

In knitting news: yes, I still knit!! I've been dusting off the needles and have news on a few projects to share with you.

First, the "Sweater" I've been saying I was going to knit for almost a year now. You remember,

don't you? Yeah, me neither. Here's the link to refresh your memory. I am knitting #1 - Graceful Shell - but the problem I encountered, very early on, was that the yarn they call for is

discontinued, and the yarn that I fell in love with and want to use doesn't work with this pattern and the recommended needle size.

I am just not an experienced enough knitter to try and reconcile the difference on my own. I looked for other patterns, but I wasn't able to find any that had the one feature that I loved most about this pattern - the scoop neck. So I did what I always do when I get frustrated - I quit. I

shoved that yarn back in the bag and back in my stash trunk and called it a day. And knit up a

few more garter stitch scarves because let's face it, you don't have to gauge those and they

always turn out exactly how you want them to. But more on that later.

With the cold weather approaching, and with The Cowboy constantly asking me if I'm going to

ever knit that %#?@ing sweater (I view it as nagging, he views is as challenging me - potato, potahto), I have decided to give it another go. But here's the thing, I still want that yarn and I still want that pattern, so I am basically right back where I was before. I have thrown in the towel and admitted defeat. I need the help of someone who knows what the hell they are doing. So I did something I never, ever do (again, more on that later) - I knit up a swatch and checked for gauge.

It was, not at all surprisingly, way off. Ok, but I still don't know how to fix it. So I am sending it off to the Yarn Fairies. Yeah, I wish. How great would that be if there were little yarn fairies who fixed everything for you and you never had to think about stuff like gauge and swatches and needle size. But alas, my mom suggested the next best thing - her friend Nancy, who is quite a

good knitter and very skilled at the maths, (which I am not) and who is willing to help me for

free (I can do enough maths to know that that is good)! So I am sending off my little swatch and the pattern to Nancy (in Michigan) and she is going to try and fix it up so I can knit this sweater with this yarn. Happy happy. Hopefully.

As I mentioned, in lieu of not knitting a sweater, I have knit about a bajillion scarves.

Here they are all lined up on my stash chest.

Here they are close up, along with a nice shot of the scuff on our wall. Lovely.

To be fair, some of these scarves I knit well over a year ago, but the point is clear: I don't give them away, I knit them and keep them. There are 9 pictured here, but I know of at least 1 that is missing and I tore my closet apart trying to find it so it could be part of the family picture here. As if I needed that one particular scarf. As if I don't have another to replace it. However it is

green, which is my favorite color, and not represented here otherwise. Where is that damn scarf?

Also, I'd like to say in my defense that not all of these scarves are garter stitch. One of them was supposed to be the Sunday Market Shawl, but turned out less shawly and more scarfy. And

another is seed stitch - so there.

Now, I know what you're thinking. You are thinking that these scarves need hat friends. And you are right. I already admitted that until recently, I hadn't knit a hat properly. And my first one didn't turn out quite exactly how I would have liked. Or even remotely close to anything

resembling a hat, come to think of it. Someone asked me in my comments if I had done a swatch for the hat prior to knitting it. A ha. A hahahahaha. No, of course not. And I wonder why my projects continually come out all cattywumpus. But I regrouped. I frogged the hat and knit it again, on smaller needles (still not swatch though). Let's take a look at the before and the after pictures.

Before

After

A definite improvement, but I still don't think it looks quite right. I think it's just me though. I don't think I would have made a very good French person. I think it's the style of hat more than anything that isn't working for me. Oh well.

Feeling confident in my newly acquired hat making skillz, though, I attempted another hat, and (I think) achieved great success!

This is the Button-Tab Hat, a free Rav pattern, and it was very easy to knit. Seriously, why haven't I been knitting hats this whole time?

I knit this up to go with some fingerless gloves that my mom had made for me for Christmas.

She'd given me her leftover yarn to make a matching hat and scarf (!!!!!), and I still have enough left to do just that. Yay! Just what I need, another scarf. Actually, I think I might try cables with this scarf. I've never done cables, but shoot if I can do hats and socks, I can do cables.

I'm off to find a cute cable scarf pattern! I will have another blog later this week with a recipe that I promise you won't want to miss!

Yeah, I made that

I've been busy being the crafty bitch that I am. Christy and I are taking another sewing class, and we are for sure getting our money's worth this time around. The instructor is nicer, more organized and less crazy. Things I look for in a teacher. We're making pajama pants, and I don't have a picture to show you just yet, but they will be done next week and I will post one then.

In the meantime, I've really gotten a lot more comfortable with my sewing machine. I made another bag:















I finally figured out that apron pattern:




















And then I really outdid myself. I'm sure I'm not the first person to think of this idea, and I know my sewing leaves a lot to be desired, but I made some of these fabulous burp cloths for a friend of mine who needed a baby gift:





























How cute are those?? I am telling you, my arm is sore from patting myself on the back.

I've also been knitting. Not a sweater, if that's what you're thinking. I know I keep promising and saying I'm going to knit that damn sweater, and I did cast on for it, but it's quite a conundrum and I just can't motivate myself to knit it. It doesn't help that it's already hotter than balls down here in Texas and it seems wrong to knit a sweater.

So instead I've been knitting socks. Naturally. Because that makes perfect sense!
















The pattern has little holes in the leg (you can see them in the picture below), and when I showed them to The Cowboy, he said "wow you sure made a lot of mistakes on those". I had to explain that sometimes holes are part of the design. It goes against his beliefs to have holes in his socks.

Anyway the holes are pretty small, and the pattern was easy to work (I bought it at Bluebonnet) and I would for sure make them again, but I'd make them longer next time.





















I'll be keeping those socks, but the pair I'm currently working on are for my blog contest winner, Daisy Mum! Here's a sneak preview (and I actually have a lot more done now, but don't have a picture to show):















I am really digging the way the yarn is knitting up into cool little stripes and stuff. I'm using Knit Picks Essential Multi Sock Yarn in Meadow, and I will for sure make myself a pair with this yarn after I finish this pair. I hope Daisy Mum likes them!

Speaking of blog contests, I will be hosting another one this week for my upcoming birthday! So stay tuned for a good contest and a GREAT story. You're not gonna want to miss it!

Blogiversary!!!

I am 10 days and 6 posts away from both my 1 year Blogiversary AND my 100th post. So I'm going to try and post 6 times in the next 10 days so that both will fall on the same day. I figure that will make for some awesome poetic justice (Ok, so I don't know what that means but I like the sound of it) AND a blog give-away. Since I promised more of those way back when and never delivered. Add it to the list.

Oh, and just so you aren't anxiously checking back in here every other day hoping for some sort of great mind blowing earth shattering knee slapping news, I did not say, nor do I promise that these next 6 posts will be interesting. Probably the opposite, in fact. So you've been warned.

But, in a blog to come tomorrow (because I'm too busy drinking wine right now to do it), I will update you on my knitting status and many projects, including the sweater I swore up, down and sideways I was going to have done by St. Patrick's Day. I know you won't want to miss that!

Ta for now, hope you all had a delightful Easter!

Gratuitous Cute Dog Shot.

Sam's face always looks like this when we take her in the car. We haven't quite figured out if she loves it or is terrified of it.

Who, me?

I know, I know. I haven't been here for you. And you're upset. You're sad. You're feeling empty. Alone. Disappointed. Well, you shouldn't rely on a blog to give you so much reassurance for crying out loud. Ok really, I'm sorry. I know I've been MIA, and the truth is that I don't even have a good excuse. I've just been....BLAH. Truth is, I think I've come down with a bad case of the S.A.D. You know, the Seasonal Affective Disorder. And even that, though honest, is not a good excuse because the weather here hasn't been awful. It's been OK. A little chilly, a few days with some ice on my car, but let's face it. I don't have it bad compared to those poor bastards I call "family" who live in Michigan and have to deal with snow every other day and temperatures that drop below 0 and stay there for a few days in a row.



So really, what I'm trying to say is, I'm lazy. I didn't have anything to blog about and even if I did, I didn't feel like blogging. But just so you don't feel left out of the loop of my life, here is a quick run-down of the goings-on for the past few weeks. This is in no particular order.



- signed up for a sewing class


- signed up for a book club


- got my hair done (and my hairdresser did NOT talk to me about politics this time, thank you very much)


- bought some clearance shoes at Target for $6.00


- had a huge, painful zit on my chin and asked God why the zits couldn't end when my adolescence did


- ate an ice cream sandwich for breakfast


- tried a new dinner at Taco Night (Enchiladas Blancas) and regretted it.....for a long time.....later that evening.....


- knitted the same scarf for the past 4 weeks; seriously, a simple garter stitch scarf; am totally burnt out on knitting


- went to a wine store/tasting with a friend and her 6 month old baby; got looked at funny.


- ate at the new Carl's Jr. restaurant by our house 3 times


- fell out of a folding chair while cleaning a book shelf; bruise leg bad; hurt to walk for several days

So as you can see, you haven't missed much.

Now here's the good news. I always start my new year's resolutions on February 1st. I don't really feel like explaining WHY right now, but it has to do with the fact that January 1st is when everyone else does it, and there's so much pressure on that date, and I just don't like it. So....... that means several things. First, my sweater, obviously. I made a trip to the yarn store today, and it was not very productive. Details to follow in another blog.

Second, a new weekly feature I will have on my blog pertaining to......drum roll please.....American Idol!!!! I'm not ashamed. I love it. And Hollywood week is upon us, and then the finals, which I love. So every week I will give my Weekly Recap of All Things Idol. This is a carry over from an Idol e-mail group that I started several years ago that consists of some friends and family members who all enjoy the Idol. This way, I figure, everyone can enjoy my witty observations.

I have to go now. Writing this blog has really taken it out of me. But I promise to be here more for you now, in the days ahead.

Knitting Help!

I had about 3 more "Michigan" blogs in my head that I intended to write, but I will be honest with you. I'm lazy. I got sick. I started a new job. And I just don't feel like it. I realized I needed to blog, and this is what I wanted to blog about, so here it is.

For Christmas, The Cowboy bought me a $50 gift certificate to my LYS, and it's been burning a hole in my pocket. I've had it for about 3 weeks now and that's the longest any gift certificate (yarn or otherwise) has gone without being spent. I can't take it any more!!!

The reason for my restraint is a good one, though. One of my new year's resolutions (ok, really, my only new year's resolution) is to.........drum roll please......knit...........myself..........a.......... sweater!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Given the number of (!) exclamation points above, I'm sure you can sense my enthusiasm, and realize that this will in fact be my first sweater, and really my first "big" project (unless you count socks, which of course are not big in size, but are no small feat to knit).

And so, with my yarn store gift certificate, my resolve to knit a sweater, AND the fact that my mom bought me a box of sweater patterns for Christmas, the deed is upon me, and I need your help.

I've narrowed down the sweaters in the pattern box (which included one heinous Cosby-esque sweater that I kind of want to knit for fun out of Red Heart or something) to 5, which I will now present to you via photograph, and I will ask that you, oh faithful and loyal readers of my blog, help me decide which sweater to knit. For actual knitters, I ask that you take into consideration the fact that I've never knit a sweater (seems), and my budget when buying yarn (the gift certificate, plus I can throw in maybe $30 of my own money). For all you non-knitters, you can use any criteria you want when judging. I don't care.

Just weigh in, let me know which one you think I should do and why, and then I will decide, buy the yarn, and be on my way.

Let's meet the contestants. (and yes I know the picture quality isn't the greatest, just roll with me people)

The "Graceful Shell". A bit dressy, looks like a shimmery sort of yarn. No cables or anything too difficult looking, and a nice scoop neck.

The "Braided Shell" with a big cable in the front, ribbing at the sleeves and a turtle neck.
The "Grape Seed Jacket" which, were I to make it, would be another color besides grape. With a pointed color, seed stitch pattern and pockets. Also, is this a little teacher/spinster librarian/old ladyish? Or does anyone else love it like I do?

The "Summer Sun Tank". Pretty basic, very simple, and honestly, probably would be the easiest one for me to knit. But do I love it? I don't know.

The "Pockets and Ribs" - hey the name says it all here, eh? Except that I would definitely use another color. Pink and I do not see eye to eye.

So there you have them. Which one do you like? Once I make my decision I will let you guys know, and post my progress on the blog so you can all share in my victory, or defeat, of my First Sweater! Thanks for your input!